


Ripples Through Time

by squidgie



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-08
Updated: 2013-03-08
Packaged: 2017-12-04 16:25:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/712709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidgie/pseuds/squidgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my take on what happened in Evan's office when he and McKay met in the SGC office when Rodney was working on a way to get Sheppard back from the solar flare.  This is set in multiple timelines, during "The Last Man", each timeline preceding the new section in parenthesis.  Please note this does involve character death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ripples Through Time

**Author's Note:**

> At the beginning of (nearly) each section is a time-period, the details of which are specified in parenthesis. This is due to the episode The Last Man having so many timelines available, and me tapping into them. Originally this was to be part of the SGA Saturday community for the prompt, "Supernova". However, personal circumstances prevented me from even thinking about this as the deadline passed. Many thanks to selenic for looking this over for me. Also, I've played with how McKay and Lorne's meeting goes during the episode (which is the first scene in the story).

(Present Day for McKay & Lorne's scene in ' _The Last Man_ ')  
  
Corporal Ash knocks lightly on the doorjamb of General Lorne's office, and the General looks up from his paperwork at the intrusion.  
  
"Sir," Ash starts, "A Doctor Rodney McKay is here to see you.  He doesn't have an appointment, though.  Would you like-"  
  
Lorne smiles, cutting off Ash.  "Rodney?" he calls out, as Rodney McKay steps up behind the Corporal.  Ash has always been a bit protective of General Lorne, knowing the man has been a bit of a recluse to the rest of the SGC base personnel.  "It's okay, Ash.  He's an old friend," Evan says, putting on a smile.  Gesturing towards the elderly scientist, Lorne says, "McKay!  Come in!  Come in!  How long's it been?"  
  
Rodney gives Ash a disapproving look, then manages to give Lorne a melancholy smile as he enters the office.  He dismisses Ash with a head-bob, as the Corporal hovers in the doorway.  
  
"That'll be all, Ash," Lorne says with a nod.  "And can you close the door behind you?  Give me and the Doc here some privacy."  
  
"Yes, sir," Ash responds.  He offers a salute, then closes Lorne's office door and retreats back to his desk, still somewhat wary of the elderly visitor with the piercing blue eyes.   
  
Ash goes back to his work, looking up only a few minutes later when he hears raised voices coming from Lorne's office.  He's gets up and is about to intrude, just to make sure everything is okay, when the door opens.  
  
"You'll consider it?" Doctor McKay asks in a quavering voice as he walks out of Lorne's office.  
  
The General, now red faced and with eyes that look a bit glassy, as if pondering an old wound, takes a deep breath, as his eyes suddenly lock onto the floor.  When he finally looks up, he nods at the doctor.  "Yeah, McKay...  I'll consider it."  
  
Ash watches as the elderly McKay walks slowly out of the department.  As soon as the scientist is away, Ash is at Lorne's door.  "Sir?" he asks, catching Lorne's attention.  
  
Lorne dismisses the unasked question with a wave.  "It's fine, Ash."  He retreats back into the back of his office, returning a second later with his overcoat.  "I think I'm gonna call it a day," Lorne says, putting on his hat.  "Can you reschedule whatever I've got this afternoon for tomorrow?"  
  
Something is up, though Ash would never intrude on the man's privacy.  Nodding, he responds, "Yes, sir."   
  
Lorne manages a slow blink and nod in response, then slowly meanders out of the office and towards the elevators.  
  
"Hmm," Ash mutters, wondering what had just been exchanged between Lorne and McKay to rile up his boss.  Most people would not have noticed, but Ash, Lorne's personal assistant for the last five years, has grown to understand the man, and knows when he's upset.  He briefly looks up at a nearby camera, and desperately wants to review the feed from Lorne's office.  But he knows it's against protocol; whatever happened in the office will stay a secret.  That is, unless Lorne decides - if ever - to talk with him about it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Lorne walks up the steps to the meager apartment, putting the key in the door and slowly opening the door.  After leaving Pegasus, no place really compared to Atlantis, so he settled on a small place that could only be described as "quaint".  He hangs up his jacket on the rack near the door and looks to the sofa, seeing David sitting there in front of a small bonsai tree that Evan had bought a few months back; one of the only plants Evan allowed in the apartment.  Evan looks over at David with a bittersweet smile.  
  
"I saw McKay today," Evan says as he dumps his hat on the hat rack, the keys to his pickup truck tossed into the bowl by the door a moment later.  He looks up and sees David looking back at him with a hint of a smile.  "He's...  He's got a theory about Sheppard.  Wants me to upload some stuff for him to Atlantis."  
  
At David's furrowed brow, Evan continues, "I know, I know..."  He heads to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water, coming back to the modest den area a moment later.  "It's just..." Evan starts, slowly heading to the sofa.  "I wonder it he's right.  Things...  Well, things _aren't_ how I thought they'd be since we lost Sheppard.  He really got me thinking."  Staring into David's eyes, he quietly asks, "Could he be right?"  
  
David gives Evan a demure smile, the hint of a blush spreading across his cheeks.  
  
"What if he is?" Evan asks as he sits down on the sofa, as he considers all the possibilities that an alternate timeline would mean.  
  
Evan reaches out, daring to let his fingertips dance across David's cheek.  Just as he does, David's image fades, replaced by nothing but the emptiness of the room.  Evan closes his eyes, feeling a tear trace down a familiar path down his cheek.  He hangs his head, fingers still reaching out into the nothingness, saying the words he's repeated nearly every day for the last three decades; words that sting even more on days like today, when Evan was treated to the haunting memory represented by vivid images of his lost love.   
  
"I miss you, David..."  
  
~*~*~  
  
(Twenty-five years previous, six months after the loss of John Sheppard in ' _The Last Man_ ')  
  
Evan was _just_ getting used to the day-to-day operations of Atlantis when O'Neill showed up.  In a somber ceremony, and with orders decreeing Sheppard "MIA", General O'Neill had come to bestow Lorne with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, promoting Cadman to the rank of Major at the same time, making her Lorne's second in command.   
  
Things had been tough, though Lorne had tried to make the best of the situation.  O'Neill had officially declared Atlantis free of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" while the official repeal of the law was still at the mercy of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.  That night, Evan had asked David to move in with him.  And finally, even with the loss of Sheppard and Teyla, and Ronon's grumblings about abandoning Atlantis, Evan started to feel relaxed again.   
  
But nothing beat the comfort that he felt, late at night, with David's arm wrapped around his waist, the feeling of David's breath against his neck chasing him into slumber.   
  
Three weeks later, Ronon appeared in Lorne's office, letting Evan know that he was officially leaving Atlantis.  "There anything I can do?" Evan asks.  
  
Ronon nods, considering the question.  "I'm gonna need some supplies.  Not now, but later.  When we're set up and ready to start fighting."  
  
"You got it," Evan promises with a nod.  "Hey Cadman?" he calls.  
  
"Yes, sir?" Laura asks, appearing at his doorway.  
  
With a nod to the Satedan, Lorne says, "You think we can help out our friend here with some supplies?  Maybe a few thousand rounds, a case or two of C4?"  
  
"All ready to start fudging some paperwork, sir," she says with a grin.  
  
Ronon nods to both of the soldiers, uttering, "Thanks," before heading out of Lorne's office.  
  
Initial word of Ronon's success boosts morale among the Atlantean mission members, though the amount of munitions they were going through was raising some questions back home on Earth.  Late one night, as Lorne and Cadman are going through some creative documentation to cover their "donations", David shows up in Evan's office.  
  
"Hey, Ev," David says, garnering Evan and Laura's attention.  "You gonna be long?"  
  
"Hey, Davey," Laura manages with a wave before going back to the paperwork.  
  
Nodding, Evan replies, "Sorry, sweetheart," while holding out a hand, David reaching out and squeezing it a second later.  "This is gonna take a while."  
  
David bobs his head, Evan frowning at the sad-looking expression on David's face.  "Okay...  I'm gonna go get ready for my mission."  
  
"Mission?" Evan asks, trying to convey his apologies for the timesnag he and Laura were deeply embedded in with an apologetic look.  Thinking back, he remembers David bringing something up early that morning when he was still mostly asleep, but can't quite remember the details.  
  
"Botany and a whole bunch of the biologists and xenolinguistics department personnel are heading to PDN-3Y4 to study the abandoned Ancient lab and the surrounding countryside.  Four day trip - remember?"  
  
Finally remembering the details, Evan nods, "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah...  Four days?" he asks.  
  
David nods back to him.   
  
"Okay," he says.  He stands up and leans over his desk, giving David a quick, chaste kiss.  "See you soon."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The first two days go without a hitch, at least for those on the mission.  Evan, however, used to sleeping with David wrapped around him at night, has a hard time falling asleep at night.  He's so used to the warmth and comfort of the man's embrace, that it's hard to feel totally at-ease without the man by his side.  
  
On the afternoon of the third day, Evan makes his rounds of Atlantis, knowing the mission's check-in will be happening relatively soon.  
  
"You're about twenty minutes early, Colonel," Chuck says.  
  
"Ahh, Colonel Lorne," Richard Woolsey calls from across the room.  "I wonder if you have some time to meet?"  
  
"Sure, Mister Woolsey," Evan says as he walks up to the man.  "What can I do for you?"  
  
Woolsey leads Lorne into his office.  Holding up a bunch of the requisitions Evan and Cadman had 'enhanced' to support Ronon's needs, he sighs.  "You know pretty much the only thing Doctor McKay calls me these days is a bureaucrat, right, Colonel Lorne?"  
  
Lorne tries to hide the bit of blush that creeps up his cheeks.  "He's uhh...  Said as much.  Sir," Lorne offers.  
  
"Well, I'd like to offer my assistance with these," Woolsey says, as he places the requisitions on top of the folder between the two men.  
  
Furrowing his brow, Evan quietly asks, "You sure about this, Richard?"  
  
" _Please_ ," Woolsey says, shaking his head slightly.  "It's what I _do_."  
  
Woolsey and Lorne work on the requisitions, adding in enough "fluff" to get past just about anyone in the military requisition office.  As they speed through the pile, Evan loses track of time, only looking up when there's a knock on the door.  
  
"Excuse me, sirs," Chuck says.  
  
"Yes?" Lorne and Woolsey respond simultaneously.  
  
Chuck hesitates for a beat, then finally spits out, "It's the mission to PDN-3Y4.  They were late for their check in, and so I tried to contact them."  He looks to the floor a second, then back to Lorne and Woolsey.  "I can't seem to reach the planet."  
  
"What do you _mean_ , you can't reach the planet?" Evan asks, getting up from the table and striding across the room.  In a few seconds he's out of the office and at Chuck's desk, trying the gate address himself.  As the gate fails to connect, he has the faintest of worrisome feelings that are trying to take root in his mind, but he attempts to shake them off with "just another Ancient glitch" thoughts.  
  
"It's not connecting, sir," Chuck says.  
  
Chuck automatically tries the address of the alpha site, and the gate instantaneously connects.  He waits a beat, then disconnects, dialing PDN-3Y4 again.  When he doesn't get a connection on the third or fourth try, he keys his radio.  "Lorne to McKay," he says.  
  
"McKay."  Before Lorne can respond, McKay says, "Kinda busy down here," then, obviously to someone in his lab, "What do you _mean_ massive energy readings?"  
  
A cold chill chases down Lorne's spine, and he tries to move, though he finds his feet rooted to the spot.  "On my way, Doc," Evan says, clicking off his radio and ignoring the voices behind him as he races towards McKay's lab.  
  
As he enters, he spots Radek Zelenka in front of a star map, some sort of animation repeating itself, McKay next to the man and his face appearing white, drained of blood.  Evan tries not to notice the nearby gate addresses that the map displays, and manages to hold his voice from quavering as he asks, "What's the situation, gentlemen?"  
  
Zelenka reluctantly turns his attention to Evan, a haunting look hiding beneath the man's eyes.  "We just received readings of a massive energy burst from this sector from our long range sensors," he says, pointing to the center of the animation on the map.  "While the sensors normally are searching for Wraith ships, they do, on occasion, pick up other anomalies.  It appears," he says, then stops himself as he pinches the bridge of his nose.  "It _appears_ that the gas giant here," he says, pointing to the spot on the map closest to PDN-3Y4, "has gone supernova."  
  
Evan studies the man's face, then McKay's, before asking, "So it's interfering with gate communication?" he asks, a tinge of hope in his voice.  
  
"It's much worse than that, I'm afraid," Radek offers.  "Anything within this radius," he says, drawing a circle on the map that engulfs nearly 20% of the star chart," has been drastically affected.  The ones farther out will experience increased temperatures, and any population on them will be forced to leave, or die from radiation poisoning or exposure within a matter of weeks."  
  
"What about the others?" Evan asks.  
  
"I'm afraid...  It's already too late, Colonel."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Evan has sent many a casket through the gate, allowing the fallen one last trip home.  Most of the 18 caskets that he's overlooking today from the balcony of the control room are empty, a few containing memorable items of the person the casket represents.   
  
Richard Woolsey finishes his eulogy, heaping high praise on the memories of colleagues lost.  Evan doesn't hear any of it, though.  The only thing on his mind is David, and a loss that feels as if someone has cut out a part of his soul.  He makes his way down the stairs, reaching out and touching the simple pine box that David had indicated to use, should he die in Pegasus.  Though the standard SGC casket was steel, David had insisted on pine, because it decomposed in the dirt.  His instructions to Evan and the SGA, should he die while doing his job in Pegasus, was to bury him in a simple pine box, which was better for the environment.  "My little tree hugger," Evan had said jeeringly as he was signing David's paperwork three years before.   
  
Those words ring hollow in his mind now, as he runs a hand over the knotted-wood lid.  
  
Evan ignores the cold emanating from the casket as the gate is dialed, spreading blue shadows across the somber scene.  He brings the sketchbook - the one that David _only_ used when he and Evan managed to sneak off for a day or two away, just the two of them - up to his lips, kissing the name written on the front cover.  The book holds many memories for Evan, though now they're too painful and overwhelming to linger in his mind for too long.  
  
Reaching for the lid, Evan slips the sketchbook inside, then kisses two fingers and presses them against the coffin.  He manages to walk out of the gate room and all the way to his quarters, before slumping against the wall and being enveloped by darkness.  
  
~*~*~  
  
(Back to ' _The Last Man_ ' present day in Lorne's apartment)  
  
Evan lifts his face, opening his eyes to where the image of David Parrish had been sitting.  He takes a deep breath, then picks up the phone from the side table.  
  
The other end rings twice before a gruff voice comes on the line.  "Yes?"  
  
"McKay?  It's Lorne."  Evan dares to look to the bonsai tree, then back to the sofa next to him.  After a beat, he asks, "So what do you need me to do?"  
  
~*~*~  
  
(The new reality based on Sheppard showing back up in Pegasus, 12 days after the solar flare had originally sent him missing)  
  
 _"John..."  
  
"Colonel?  It worked...  It worked - Rodney, you're a genius."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"John, what happened?"  
  
"How much time has gone by?"  
  
"You’ve been missing for twelve days."_  
  
~*~*~  
  
After Sheppard had returned to Atlantis, he and Lorne worked the intel that John had brought with him, managed to find Michael's planet, and escape the exploded rubble with internal injuries for John, a broken leg and collapsed lung for Lorne.  
  
Lorne's resting in his hospital bed when Sheppard is wheeled out of the OR and placed next to the Major in the infirmary.  It takes a few hours for Sheppard to come out of the anesthesia, and Lorne keeps drifting in and out himself, but they're more or less awake by the time dinner arrives.  
  
"Welcome back, Colonel," Lorne says as he uses his arms to sit up straighter, wincing from the pain that radiates in his chest.   
  
"Thanks," is all Sheppard manages, adjusting himself in bed as an orderly brings up a clear-liquid meal for him to snack on.  
  
The pair eat in companionable silence, Lorne reading a book he'd stolen from David as Sheppard continues to rest.  "Hey," Sheppard says, pulling Lorne's attention from the book.  "You got a radio?"  
  
Lorne reaches into his tray's storage compartment, tossing a radio to his commanding officer.  "I had McKay bring yours by.  Knew you'd be wanting it sooner or later," he says, grinning a smirk at Sheppard.  
  
"Thanks," Sheppard says, as he puts the radio on.  
  
"Oh, by the way," Lorne adds as he pulls out some additional materials, "McKay said these were your standard 'downtime' supplies."  He carefully hands over the two Sudoku books, a cryptogram book, and ' _War and Piece_ ', Sheppard accepting them with a thankful nod.  "Oh here's," Evan says, then pulls out a USB drive, handing it over to Sheppard.  
  
"Actually," John says, putting down his loot and taking a bite of his Jello, "That's yours."  
  
"Mine, sir?" Lorne asks.  
  
"McKay - you know, the 48,000 year one?  He..."  John drops his spoon back in his Jello, and starts rubbing the back of his neck.  "He gave me a whole bunch of stuff to help me get back, then help me find Teyla."  John motions to the USB drive, then adds, "But this...  This is something he said was for you.  Told me to save the 'Lorne' directory to a thumbdrive and give it to you if I ever saw you again."  
  
"Something - from the future... For me?" Evan asks.  
  
"Yeah," John says, then takes another bite of his dinner.  
  
"What would _that_ McKay want to-" Lorne starts.  
  
"Aah, I see both my patients are awake and alert," Jennifer Keller says, as she walks into the room.  She looks at Lorne's chart and adds, "Though I don't think you'll be my patient for much longer, Major.  Looks like you're about ready to be discharged."  
  
Lorne smiles, clutching the USB drive in his hand.  "Thanks, Doc!" he says with a smile, and wondering when David will show up to spring him from the infirmary.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Lorne had always had at least some trouble falling asleep his entire life, even sleepwalking on occasion.  But as soon as he had moved in with David Parrish (both Sheppard _and_ Carter officially saying nothing, but unofficially giving Evan their blessing, with promises to keep anyone who even raised an eyebrow in line), his sleeping problems had all but vanished.  Once his head hit his pillow and David was curled around him, Evan was out like a light.  
  
David wheels Evan back to their quarters and helps get Evan settled for the night, crutches right off to the side of the bed if needed.  Evan welcomes the feeling of David getting in behind him, and smiles as he focuses on David's even breathing, which usually follows him into slumber.  
  
But 30 minutes come and go, then 60, and finally 90.  Sleep seems to be escaping Evan tonight for some reason, so he pulls away from David as quietly and as gently as possible, then reaches for his crutches.  He slowly makes his way into their living room in the darkness.  
  
Since he had been out of commission for the last few days, Evan decides to boot up his laptop and try and catch up on emails.  It wasn't often both he _and_ Sheppard were out at the same time, so he figures things must already be piled up.  
  
As he waits for the laptop to boot, Evan spots the USB drive from the infirmary sitting on the counter.  He hobbles over and grabs the drive, then sits back down and plugs it in.

 

Evan puts the drive aside for a minute as he wades through two hundred emails that need his attention that he's missed.  After twenty minutes of filing them away, he clicks on the thumbdrive icon and loads up the files.  
  
He's not sure what to expect, but there are just two files total on the drive.  One that simply says "address.txt", and the other a video file called "video.mpg".  He opens the text file first, and is puzzled.  The only thing in the file is a gate address, PDN-3Y4, with a bold strike-through line effectively crossing out the address.  It's not an address he's heard of, so he dismisses it as he closes the text file, then opens the video.  
  
The screen is instantly filled with the pictures of him and McKay, except they appear much older.  He doesn't notice the words at first, focusing on the images in front of his eyes, not believing them.  It's not until the duo on screen actually start raising voices that Evan is able to pay attention to the actual conversation.  
  
" _Let's cut to the chase.  You saw what happened in Pegasus, you know what's happening here.  You really think this is the way it's supposed to be?"_ an angry Rodney McKay asks.  
  
" _Doctor McKay_ ," the Evan Lorne on screen says, leaning forward.  " _You're talking about playing god_!"  Evan's face is red with a white-hot fury as he enunciates every syllable, nearly spitting as he finishes the sentence.  
  
" _I'd be doing a damn better job at it than some mythical being could_ ," Rodney retorts, arms crossing smugly.  " _They took Ronon away from us.  They took Teyla and Sam away from us.  They took_ ," Rodney takes a breath and leans over the desk, fingers resting on the edge as if waiting to strike.  " _They took John away from us.  Away from me!  God damnit, Lorne-_ "  
  
" _I lost somebody too, you know_ ," Lorne roars at Rodney, his face suddenly blushing full red, then nearly a ghastly white an instant later.  Rodney leans back into his chair with a thump at the statement as the elder Lorne on the screen looks nervously around the office.  Quietly, Lorne says again, " _I lost somebody, too._ "   
  
The Evan on screen locks eyes with McKay, whose eyes try and dart around the room until Evan stills him with a single word.  " _David_."  
  
"Ev?"  
  
It takes Evan a second to process that David is calling for him from the bedroom.  He shuts the laptop screen, stopping the video from going any further."  
  
"In here, Boo," Evan calls back, wiping a sudden tear from his eye.  "Just needed to get something."  
  
David walks into the room, and Evan is glad that the darkness hides his pained expression.  
  
"Everything okay?" David asks.  And Evan should know better - he's _never_ been able to hide _anything_ from David.  
  
"Yeah," Evan still attempts to lie.  He stands, pulling David towards him, and hugging the man as best he can while still balancing on his crutches.  "It will be," he quietly adds.  
  
Evan feels grounded by David's embrace, and smiles when he feels David press a kiss into his hair.  "You wanna talk about it?" David quietly asks.  
  
"Not now, no," Evan says.  He looks up, raising a hand to cup David's face, then leans up and kisses David, hoping to convey every emotion he's feeling at that moment to his partner.  He lets his fingers play against David's jaw, feeling the sensation of skin and stubble underneath his fingertips, and is silently grateful for it, especially after what he's just seen.  David returns the kiss, a hint of tongue dashing against Evan's as David's hand finds a resting spot on Evan's back.  
  
Pulling back and breaking their intimate moment, Evan rests his head against David's bare chest.  
  
"How 'bout we go to bed then," David asks, running his hands down Evan's arms and squeezing Evan's hands.  David steps to the side, once again putting a hand at Evan's back, and slowly guides the man back to their bed.  
  
It takes Evan a few minutes to get situated, David helping him and his casted foot find the best possible position to sleep in before climbing into bed, and wrapping an arm across Evan's midsection.  "Love you, Ev," David says, pressing another kiss, this time to Evan's shoulder.  
  
Evan reaches down, capturing David's hand into his.  He pulls it up, gently kissing the knuckles before re-draping the arm across his stomach.  "I love you too, Boo.  Always."


End file.
